Track and field: CU Buffs' Gehring quickly making name for herself

Sophomore sprinter set CU record in 400 on Saturday

For 18 years, Tamara Ards stood as the fastest 400-meter sprinter in the history of Colorado women's track.

Nearly a year ago, Eileen Gehring took that spot. Now a sophomore, Gehring is only getting faster.

On Saturday, the Madison, Wis., native smashed the 400-meter record again, becoming the first Buffalo to run a sub-54-second 400. She clocked in at 53.38 seconds at the Sun Angel Track Classic in Tempe, Ariz., breaking her old record of 54.21.

Coming out of high school, Gehring was not a prized recruit. Still, CU assistant coach Drew Morano, who coaches sprinters and hurdlers, realized he had a unique athlete on his hands.

"The main thing that sets her apart, she works really, really hard and she listens really well," Morano said. "I can tell her to do something and she'll go out and do it.

"She has a good way of just focusing on what she needs to accomplish and not worry about everything else that's going on around her."

That's a skill Gehring has only recently developed. She said she's a "nervous" runner and that has cost her in past races.

"This year, I'm getting a better handle on that," she said. "I'm not as shocked by the competition."

Perhaps that's because she's now beating a lot of the competition. She's passing up a lot of former Buffs, too.

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With Saturday's record-breaking performance, Gehring now owns the two fastest 400-meter sprints in CU history, and four of the top five. Ards, who held the previous record of 54.22 seconds in 1994, owned each of the top five 400-meter sprints before Gehring came along. Gehring is the only runner since 2001 on the top 15 list.

Gehring might wind up with the 200-meter record soon, too. In Tempe on Saturday, she finished that race in 23.95 seconds, which set her personal record and matches the second-fastest time in CU history. Tanisha Johns (23.86 in 1993) is the only Buff to top that. Gehring has seven of the top 16 200-meter times in CU history.

"She loves the 200 and she's doing very well at the 200, but as anyone can see, she's making the bigger gains in the 400 right now," Morano said. "But, the 200 is still very, very important for her development, for her speed."

It's not easy being great in the 400. Many runners consider it to be one of the most difficult events on the track. A runner needs excellent speed, but has to learn to pace themselves, too.

"She has that great balance of speed to power to endurance," Morano said of Gehring. "She's that great combination of everything and we're just trying to tap into all the different ways to make her a little bit stronger."

Morano said Gehring is already the "strongest woman on the team in the weight room." There is room for improvement, however.

"The endurance is still coming," Morano said. "That's the piece that is going to make the difference in the future of how she gets better."

One way Gehring hopes to improve is in how she finishes the season. She had a very good season in 2012, but was disappointed in how she ran at the Pac-12 championships and at the NCAA West Prelims.

"This season has been pretty consistent," she said. "Last year I had some rough races toward the end, but I think the training this season is set up really well and I'll be able to hold onto the speed and get a little faster the rest of the season. I feel confident in that."

Currently, Gehring's record-breaking time in the 400 meters ranks 37th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national rankings; ninth among Pac-12 runners. In the Mountain Region, Gehring ranks second in the 400 meters and seventh in the 200.

With an opportunity -- and the apparent ability -- to improve upon those numbers, Gehring is thrilled with how her college career has started.

"It makes me really excited that it's happening so early," she said. "Last year was exciting. But, I'm happy about the jumps this year. It makes me excited for what I can do after a couple more years."

Notable

The CU women moved up one spot to No. 23 in the latest USTFCCCA rankings. ... The Pac-12 is ranked as the second-best conference for women's track and field. The conference boasts eight top-25 women's teams, more than any other conference. ... The Pac-12 is also ranked second-best in men's track and field, with five top-25 teams. ... The CU men's team is ranked No. 68. ... CU will compete in the Pac-12 championships May 11-12 in Los Angeles and in the NCAA West Prelims May 23-25 in Austin, Texas.

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